Much of 19th-century academic art focused on idealized subjects. However, the Impressionists in France painted everyday scenes featuring ordinary people.
Which choice most effectively combines the two sentences at the underlined portion?
academic art focused on idealized subjects, but not Impressionist artwork:
While much of 19th-century academic art focused on idealized subjects,
Much of 19th-century academic art focused on idealized subjects, and
Much of 19th-century academic art was indeed focused on idealized subjects; by contrast, however,
Correct Answer: B
Choice B is the best answer. It uses the subordinating conjunction "While" to set up the contrast between academic art and Impressionism.
Choice A is incorrect because the punctuation is incorrect (colon). Choice C is incorrect because "and" does not capture the contrast effectively. Choice D is incorrect because "indeed... by contrast, however" is excessively wordy and repetitive.